Dr Nicholas Ferns presented a lecture on his 2024 National Library Fellowship research into the history of the relationship between Australia and the World Bank, with a particular focus on the connections between international finance and national development.

A very rare chart of the Sunda Strait – located between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java – from 1602 has recently been added to our collection.

Paintings, drawings, sketchbooks and manuscripts by George French Angas.

722 books, pamphlets, leaflets, manuscripts, newspapers and maps, mostly written in Chinese. Mainly Christian works, plus works on the Chinese language, reprints of classical writings and works relating to the Taiping Rebellion of 1850-64.

Brief descriptions of some of the more significant items recently added to the collections.

Topic

How did our national story take shape? In this lesson, students explore how and why Captain James Cook has been portrayed so prominently in Australian history.

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Explore evidence of Aboriginal agriculture and settlement in pre-colonial Australia to challenge the concept of terra nullius.

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Examine a range of First Nations peoples and communities perspectives on Cook’s legacy in contemporary Australia in this lesson for senior secondary students.

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Learn about the environmental legacies of Cook's voyages including the impact on Australia's natural resources, Aboriginal land-management practices and connections to contemporary environmental activism.

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Examine how increasing recognition of First Nations cultures and perspectives is reshaping the national conversation about Australia's post-European settlement history.